The founders of this country were strong believers that what they were doing was based on reason. Self-evident truths that were the basis for rebelling against the English and creating a form of government that was rational and reflected human reason applied to human affairs.

The checks and balances among the legislative, judicial and executive branches of our government are what made this country. They were filled by people who had a willingness to listen to others’ opinions and understood the value of compromise in order to move the country forward.

It is time for that elusive product called progress, a concept of Western civilization that came into existence only in the 15th century, to once again become available to the peoples of this nation, to the middle class and the poor. Progress is not something that benefits only Wall Street, the wealthy and corporations. Progress is a job that can support your family. Progress is a home you can afford. Progress is an education that doesn’t bankrupt you. Progress is a retirement that allows you to live, not just exist. Progress is a future you can look forward to instead of dreading.

The daily lives of the citizens, the people who are the backbone of this nation, have been disrupted long enough. The legislature in Washington needs to get over itself. They need to act now for the benefit of all the people. The people they have not been serving for years while they continue to pad their own pockets with self-serving legislation. It needs to get back to the Founding Fathers’ ideals, to realize again the consideration of the people it was elected to serve, cooperation among the parties, and compromise on issues that are being raised with no valid footing anyway.

While the infrastructure of the nation fails, spending on wars, drug or otherwise, have little or no return on investment and continue to be funded, unemployment expands, and legislators pay themselves, while putting hundreds of thousands out of work, remain the rule of the day this country will not see progress in the real sense. A recovering Wall Street means nothing to single parents who cannot feed their children.

Polls are not what matters, votes are. It is time to put all the representatives on notice. Your retirement package ends when you leave office this November. Payment will stop until we, the people, see progress on our behalf. Real progress will allow the funds to be made available for single parents, students struggling with debt, veterans and their families, and seniors. When the middle class sees the light at the end of the tunnel and if there is any money left without debt spending maybe your retirement package will be started again. Then again, maybe not. Maybe we, the people, will just renegotiate your pension and eliminate it for our benefit.